Temperature and Tentacles

Chilly… frozen fresh… octopodes?!   This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.   Octopuses experience drastic temperature changes in the ocean. But they can’t regulate their body temperature like mammals. So, how do they stay warm?    Matthew Birk and team from the Marine Biological Laboratory

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Diamond in the Dump

One person’s poop is another’s treasure!    This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Squash bugs are major pests for farmers, and resistant to many poisons. To survive, they have a symbiotic relationship with a healthy bacteria that lives in their gut. Other bugs get that

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Three Thumbs Up

What could YOU do with a third thumb? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying … win a thumb wrestling contest – hands down! Prosthetics are a great solution for people who are missing limbs. But could they also give us a little something EXTRA? 

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Bin Birds

Who’s taking on racoons for the title of ULTIMATE DUMPSTER DIVER??!!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying – SURPRISE! It’s the Sulphur-crested cockatoo! Before twenty-eighteen, these pranksters were reported opening garbage cans in three suburbs around Sydney, Australia. They used their beaks and feet

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PORE-t Hole Pals

Ahhhh-CHOO! Was that your neighbor, or your sponge?!   This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.   Kitchen sponges are modeled after sea sponges. These marine animals have no brains or muscles. They just sit and eat all day! Sounds nice. But, what about cleaning off?

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Green Light Plant Flight

It’s a bird, it’s a plane . . . it’s a – scientist in a helicopter!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Living beings, like plants, reflect light in unique spiral patterns into the environment. Non-living things — like buildings and bridges – not so

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Caterpillar Defense

Was the Very Hungry Caterpillar also very TOXIC? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Caterpillars may look cute — but some have prickly protection! Take the painted cup moth caterpillar. It’s scientific name, Doratifera vulnerans, means “bearer of painful gifts” — and for good reason!

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Sickly Sweet

Are sugar-free alternatives a SWEET idea for your gut? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Think of your stomach as a mine. Deep down, the miners — your gut bacteria — work to break down food into nutrients you can use. Things go smoothly when

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Working like a Dog

Is the phrase “working like a dog” scientifically accurate?  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. For ages, humans have bred mutts to hunt, herd and retrieve. Dogs SEEM to enjoy it – but are we actually stressing them out?  Enter Amanda Höglin and team from Linköping

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Eye-Catching Biases

Even the prettiest flowers have to compete for attention!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Dahlias, daisies, sunflowers – as a florist, you want to build the most beautiful bouquets! But what if you’re a scientist? Martino Adamo and a team from the University of

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